The Women in the Walls

July 4, 2016
In this extremely dark horror novel, 17-year-old Lucy Acosta lives on her father’s palatial estate, with only her Aunt Penelope and cousin Margaret for company. Lucy’s father is distant and cold, except when he throws parties for the wealthy members of the mysterious country club that abuts the Acosta estate. When Penelope disappears after walking off into the forest and Margaret begins to act strange, claiming to hear her mother’s voice in the walls of the mansion, Lucy—who has been harming herself in secret for years—begins to crumble, too. After Margaret dies gruesomely, Lucy also begins to hear voices in the walls. Readers will be invested in Lucy, not least of which because of everything Lukavics (Daughters Unto Devils) throws at her—the novel features a hanging, a variety of impalements, and a dismembered and cooked human body, all described in intensely graphic detail. The story is compelling, and the mansion and its secrets are well depicted, but this ferocious story definitely isn’t for the fainthearted. Ages 14–up. Agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary & Media.

July 1, 2016
A girl becomes certain that the ghosts of her mother and other female relatives inhabit the walls of her family mansion.Lucy Acosta loves her aunt Penelope and her best friend, Penelope's daughter and her cousin Margaret. One evening Penelope simply walks into the woods and disappears. Margaret believes she hears her mother's voice coming from the walls, especially in the attic. Investigating, Lucy finds signs that Penelope may have been practicing witchcraft. When another disappearance occurs, Lucy herself begins to hear the voices. Meanwhile, Lucy's father remains cold and distant, and the family continues to host lavish dinners for the country club that appears somehow to be tied into the family fortune. This rests so strongly on the female family members that Lucy's father changed his own name to Acosta when he married Lucy's mother. (Aside from the Latino name, there is no evidence that this family is other than rich and white.) Lucy herself can make no claim to being normal; she finds relief from stress by cutting herself with razors she keeps in an elaborately decorated box. Writing in Lucy's voice, Lukavics drives the story through sudden hyperbolic statements rather than by building suspense, and the gothic horror, complete with some extremely gruesome scenes, often feels improvised. Eventually readers will find a resolution appropriate to the horror genre. Horror for romance fans. (Horror. 14-18)

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September 1, 2016

Gr 8 Up-In her sophomore horror novel, Lukavics creates a present-day world within a centuries-old Victorian estate. Lucy Acosta grew up being told that she must always have perfect control and never show weakness. Now at 17 years old, after discovering Walter the cook hanging by his neck from his bedroom ceiling, and dealing with the mysterious disappearance of her aunt Penelope-who was more of a mother to Lucy than to her own daughter-she is finding it increasingly difficult to maintain her composure. It doesn't help that Lucy's cousin and best friend Margaret is hearing voices in the attic, quickly withdrawing from society, and threatening to tell Lucy's greatest secret-the protagonist cuts herself. When more tragedy strikes, Lucy starts hearing the voices of several women in the walls of their estate. Readers will be either delighted by the creepy twists and turns of each chapter or disappointed by it not being creepy enough to necessitate sleeping with one eye open. The ending might leave teens wanting more, giving Lukavics a good opening for a possible sequel. There are several uses of profanity, and the theme of self-mutilation runs throughout the book. VERDICT Seasoned horror lovers might not be satisfied, but this would be a great choice to introduce the uninitiated to the genre.-Kristin Unruh, Novi High School, MI

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2016
Grades 9-12 Lucy Acostas and her cousin Margaret, both 17, live in a secluded Victorian mansion, homeschooled and parented by Lucy's distant father and Margaret's only slightly less distant mother, Penelope. For Lucy, a secret cutter, life has never been normal, but then she finds the cook's body hanging in his bedroom. A few days later, Penelope disappears, and then Margaret turns odd, thinking she's hearing voices in the walls. The addition of two new members in the householdthe replacement cook, Miranda, and her teenage daughter, Vanessaseems to add a note of normalcy. But does it? The author of the impressive Daughters unto Devils (2015) offers a story stocked with its share of grisly deaths, strange twists, and secrets upon secrets. Though there's a feeling of predictability that lessens the impact of some of the more disturbing elements, Lucy's first-person narrative moves events along with an intensity. Readers who like their horror served hot and fast will enjoy this.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2017
Seventeen-year-old Lucy lives in her prestigious family's isolated estate, historically a site of troubling events. Recently, her aunt's disappearance and cousin's increasingly worrying behavior become overshadowed by the voices coming from the walls. This creepy, particularly bloody horror tale has some harsh language and disturbing depictions of Lucy's self-harm.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)